Reviews by yourbookishbff | The StoryGraph

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yourbookishbff

An Extraordinary Union

Alyssa Cole

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

It's hard to capture how remarkable this is, both as a stand-alone and as a series start, and for historical romance readers who have read *any* Civil-War-era romance by white authors, this is a must-read series that reflects authentic people and stories (Alyssa Cole truly lights a match to the lost cause narrative that underlies the majority of books in this corner of historical romance). This installment centers the story of Union operative Elle Burns (inspired by the real-life spy story of Mary Bowser). Elle is a free Black woman working undercover as an enslaved woman in a Confederate officer's home. She meets Malcom McCall, a white Union operative, while he is working undercover as a Confederate officer visiting the region. The progression of their relationship centers honest communication around the stark power imbalance between them, and Cole deftly used open-door scenes to further deepen their communication. I would consider this a blend of historical romance and romantic suspense, with clear and historically accurate world building that is driven by Cole's obvious commitment to thorough research. Moreover, the writing is beautiful. I highly recommend this book and this series!

Content Warnings

Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix

Gabe Cole Novoa

4.0

emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

My Dirty Duke

Joanna Shupe

4.0

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

Mangos and Mistletoe

Adriana Herrera

4.5

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

The Mimicking of Known Successes

Malka Older

4.0

adventurous funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

Full Moon Over Freedom

Angelina M. Lopez

3.5

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

What I loved: beautiful exploration of the complex feelings of growing up in a small town and whether or not you have to leave to find yourself, nuanced examination of Mexican-American history in the Midwest and the challenges in building generational wealth for marginalized folks, excellent reflection on the trauma of children who "parent" younger siblings due to familial circumstances and the resulting life-long impacts of these experiences.

What I strongly disliked: the intimacy and how it seemed to distract from emotional development rather than contribute to it, the mystery twists at the end that felt overdone, and the use of hygienic language during a discussion of STI status (MMC says he's "clean" for her).

I will also note the storyline involving the FMC's autistic son occasionally used language that needed a sensitivity check with an autistic reader (description of him as high functioning vs having low support needs, etc).

Overall, this just felt uneven, and while I loved Lopez's return to Freedom, I struggled with the romance between our MCs.

Content Warnings

Captives of the Night

Loretta Chase

3.0

dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

The love story? Enjoyed it. The rampant homophobia and biphobia (coding all villains as bi was really my line, but then we also just had blatant homophobic slurs and commentary that went mostly unchallenged on page) - rough going. This commentary becomes deeply interwoven in the characterization and is never fully unpacked and is only briefly challenged once on page. I would not actively recommend this to anyone not committed to reading her entire backlist.

Content Warnings

The Space Between Worlds

Micaiah Johnson

5.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

The Lion's Daughter

Loretta Chase

3.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Would not recommend this as a starting point for new historical romance readers OR for someone new to Loretta Chase. Check content warnings. This was written in 1992 and it feels like it was written in 1992, unlike later installments in this series, which hold up much better for today's readers. The things I loved (the love story itself once it reached the second half, the character development for Varian, Esme) ultimately couldn't outweigh the Islamophobia, fatphobia, and absolutely textually unnecessary miscommunication plotline centered around the FMC's age that takes up a solid 50% of the book's conflict.

Content Warnings

Sold to the Duke

Joanna Shupe

3.5

emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

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